Modern telecommunication systems offer unprecedented opportunities not only for communications between people and machines but also for information dissemination to users located throughout extensive distributed communication networks. In addition to the expanded connectivity and capacity capabilities of these networks, the telecommunication devices themselves available to network users have capabilities far in excess of current usage. Examples include modern cellular telephones, tablet computers and the like with powerful internal processing capability, extensive memory, touch-screen displays, high definition audio capabilities, GPS location capabilities, camera technology and other continually emerging advanced features. These devices communicate via wireless connections with an extensive high-capacity backbone telecommunications network that increasingly makes use of fiber optic and radio frequency technology to provide high-bandwidth communications to millions of users in ways not possible just a few years ago.
Communication with millions of mobile devices in a wireless network has presented new challenges to telecommunication network designers. These challenges have been met in large part by organizing such networks around cellular structures and tracking the location of mobile users throughout the network within those cellular structures. Network location registries are used to continually keep track of every user's cellular location. In this way, connections with individual mobile users can be made by directing calls to a particular cell occupied by particularly mobile user. The user is connected to the network via the familiar cellular telephone radio transmission towers located throughout the network.
In addition to common point-to-point communication connections, sometimes called “unicast” connections, wireless networks today offer other more complex connection capabilities. For example, information may also be “broadcast” for simultaneous reception by multiple users of the network. Such broadcast capabilities are useful, for example, in transmitting danger warning alerts to multiple users in particular areas of the network. A somewhat more difficult connection capability called “multicast” has also been introduced to the wireless cellular telephone network. With multicast connections information can be simultaneously disseminated throughout the network to a selected group of users without being made available to other users including those that maybe located within radio frequency range of selected group members. Multicast capability is more difficult for several reasons including the geographic distribution of intended recipients and control capabilities necessary to ensure proper operation in wireless networks. Nonetheless, modern multicast capability presents new opportunities to network users.
Another area of technology that has not been fully exploited in these networks is the use of artificial intelligence to enhance control and communication capabilities with mobile users throughout the network. In artificial intelligence, a computer system is used to implement an expert system that emulates the decision-making ability of a human. Expert systems are designed to solve complex problems by reasoning about knowledge, represented for example as if-then rules, rather than through procedural software program code.
Expert systems make use of a knowledge base and an inference engine. The knowledge base includes data representing system or situational information and rules for evaluating that information. The inference engine applies those rules to evaluate information from the knowledge base and derive output results. For example, the rules may be formulated as precedent if-then propositional calculus statements. Fuzzy logic is a particular form of an expert system that makes use of such if-then propositional statements in the analysis of knowledge base information. Fuzzy logic systems are designed to emulate human reasoning wherein the truth assigned to a particular proposition is allowed to vary over a range from 0 to 1 for more accurate modeling of the uncertainties present in human reasoning. As such, the truth value of a variable is allowed to vary from completely true to completely false. Combining and analyzing such fuzzy representations of multiple variables in fuzzy logic inference engines permits more closely modeling actual uncertainties and human decision-making. Importantly, fuzzy logic computational procedures are simpler than more complex computational system representations and as such are more easily implemented and executed by system control logic. Processing, memory and execution times can all be reduced with fuzzy logic expert systems compared to other implementations.
Certain prior art systems and methods have been proposed and implemented for distribution of information to mobile users and telecommunication networks. The systems and methods are often based on knowing a precise location of a mobile communication user through the use of GPS technology. In these systems an information or content provider disseminates information to mobile users through the wireless telecommunication network based on that provider knowing the location, such as the GPS location, of the mobile user. This location can be provided based on, for example, a GPS sensor located in the mobile device or other location determination capability. An issue with such operation is the requirement that the user disclose his or her GPS location or other indications of location such as addresses or ZIP Codes to the information or content provider. In many instances such disclosure of private information is inappropriate or contrary to the desires of the mobile device user.
For example, such systems and methods may require that the user request specific information from an information or content provider wherein that request includes the GPS location of the user. A request for specific information has the advantage of more precisely matching the information distributed to the requirements of the user. Knowing the users precise location further enables the information or content provider to transmit information based on that location. However, transmitting such user GPS location coordinates has the disadvantage of loss of privacy concerning the user's location. This presents a business and/or personal challenge to both content providers and wireless users that is particular to the use of wireless devices.
Contacting specific websites by the user presents other security and privacy issues. For example, contacted websites typically send a small piece of data from the website called a “cookie” which is stored in the user's web browser while the user is using that website. Every time the user loads the website, the browser sends the cookie back to the server to notify the website of the user's previous activity. Such cookies may be tracked by third parties to compile records of the users browsing history. Avoiding unnecessary contacts of external websites can minimize such security and privacy issues for users of the Internet.
What is needed are systems and methods that permit efficient information dissemination without unnecessary violation of user privacy or security concerns. The claimed solution is necessarily rooted in wireless technology in order to overcome the afore-described problems specifically arising in the realm of wireless networks. More particularly as described in the present invention, artificial intelligence may be implemented in user mobile cellular telephone, tablet computers or the like to improve this situation. Expert system technology permits programming of user interests which may be then efficiently combined with other parameters such as a mobile device computed distance between a given location and the mobile user using artificial intelligence, for example, fuzzy logic systems and methods. The present invention takes advantage of the fact that the user knows his or her location and knows what information he or she desires. Having received that information, the user may then act upon that information, or, if desired, request further information from the information or content provider without disclosing the user location. The challenge of creating meaningful contact with and response from a wireless device user that does not share his or her location information in the context of the wireless network is addressed by this invention. In addition, the present invention discloses the use of artificial intelligence to simplify user decision making requirements. As such, the present invention discloses a solution that is not merely the routine or conventional use of wireless communications.
A particular, but certainly not the only, example of useful information dissemination arises with the distribution of advertising from information and content providers. Such Internet advertising can be an important tool in generating business and provides a desirable service to users of the Internet who wish to be informed of particular opportunities such as the availability of, for example, particular merchandise, sales and promotional offers or particular employment opportunities. The disseminated information may also include specific location such as GPS coordinates or street addresses that may be visited to take advantage of the present an opportunity. Clearly it is not necessary for a mobile user to disclose his or her location to receive such information using, for example, the above described broadcast or multicast communication capabilities.
At the same time, however, efficient operation of such an information distribution system benefits from prior knowledge of the mobile user's interests. Such information is most efficiently organized as database layered objects with more detail available in the lower layers of the database. Multicast communication of limited information from the highest level layers may be sufficient to determine a particular user's interest. In one aspect of the present invention, such received high-level information may be combined with the user location known to the user using artificial intelligence such as fuzzy logic to derive a level of interest index based on the received information and the distance between the user and the content provider having the object of interest. Such first level artificial intelligent filtering of the parameters of a given situation assists the user in evaluation of that situation without requiring unnecessary user attention to received information from content providers that may be of lesser interest. For example, information stating that particular types of automobiles will be on sale during a particular period of time and the location of the automobile dealership may be sufficient to permit the user to decide whether or not to visit the establishment with those automobiles or to request further information from the provider about the automobiles that are on sale. In this case the user contacts the establishment only if such further information is desired. If there is no such desire, no contact of the service provider is made.
An area of particular concern in automotive safety is that of avoiding unnecessary driver distractions. For example, in 2010 the National Safety Council announced that it estimates at least 28% of all traffic automobile crashes in the United States—or at least 1.6 million crashes each year—involve drivers using cell phones and texting. NSC estimates that 1.4 million crashes each year involve drivers using cell phones and a minimum of 200,000 additional crashes each year involve drivers who are texting. Thus the use of cellular telephones in moving vehicles for voice communication causes seven times more crashes then does the use of such telephones for texting. These alarming statistics led to the NSC's call for a ban on cell phone voice and texting use while driving.
Furthermore, recent studies have concluded that uses of cellular telephones for voice communication or texting are only part of the problem. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Study has published a report entitled “Measuring Cognitive Distraction in the Automobile,” June, 2013. That report states that it has been estimated that driver inattention has accounted for 25% of all police reported crashes. Other studies indicate that such inattention was a factor in 78% of all crashes or near crashes making it the single largest crash causation factor. The AAA study concluded that on a cognitive distraction scale, driver conversations with other passengers in a motor vehicle, the use of hand-held cellular telephones and the use of hands-free cellular telephones all give rise to about equal cognitive distraction. In all three of these cases cognitive distraction varied from 2.27 to 2.45 times that of non-distracted, single task driving conditions. The use of speech-to-text technology increases cognitive distraction to about three times that of non-distracted, single task driving conditions. Interestingly, hands-free cellular telephone technology offers minimal cognitive distraction advantage over the use of hand-held cellular telephones and rates only slightly better than having a conversation with other passengers in the vehicle.
An important aspect of the present invention is the minimization of cognitive distraction to users of the invention and particularly to drivers or operators of motor vehicles. The present invention takes advantage of artificial intelligence expert system technology to reduce or eliminate the cognitive distraction that might arise when such drivers or operators of motor vehicles may receive unsolicited messages from content providers. Artificial intelligence expert system technology is used in the present invention to emulate the user's reasoning and situation evaluation thereby simplifying the user's decision-making process without requiring user attention to details while operating a vehicle.
Prior art making use of mobile device GPS location capability, multicast communications and/or fuzzy logic includes, for example, the following:
Busch, J., U.S. Pat. No. 8,626,194, Systems and Methods to Determine the Name of a Business Location Visited by a User of a Wireless Device and Provide Suggested Destinations. See also J. Busch U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,566,236; 8,515,459; 8,447,331; 8,437,776; 8,364,171; and 8,229,458. Patents directed, in part, to searching for locations of points of interest based on GPS coordinates of a user with subsequent check-in of the user at selected point of interest.
Kramer, J. F., et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,856,360, System for Providing a Service to Venues where People Aggregate. A patent directed, in part, to providing a service to venues where people aggregate including providing information concerning the traits, behaviors or demographics of people who attend said venues and characteristic information concerning the venues and with global positioning system (GPS) location information received from the mobile communication devices.
Altman, S. H., et. al., U.S. Patent Application No. US2007/0281716, Message Transmission System for Users of Location-Aware Mobile Communication Devices in a Local Area Network. A patent application directed, in part, to a process involving location aware mobile communication devices with communication links established between users and a plurality of acquaintances through the respective location aware mobile communication devices with the transmission of user-specified messages or predefined messages to one or more groups of acquaintances within a predefined distance of a user.
Altman, S. H., et. al., U.S. Patent Application No. US2008/0133336, Location-Based Advertising Message Serving for Mobile Communication Devices. A patent application directed, in part, to an advertising platform manager for an advertiser to create and transmit relevant ad messages to a user based on specific location, time, and profile data of the user allowing the creation of ads that directly leverage a key component of the user's interaction with the mobile device in that messages can be tied directly to the location display of a product or service offered by the advertiser.
Avallone, C. V., et. al, U.S. Patent Application Nos. US2002/0147642, Methods and Systems for Providing Personalized Information to Users in a Commercial Establishment and US 2007/0281716. A patent application directed, in part, to providing a user in a commercial establishment with personalized information such as personalized shopping lists, targeted advertisements, health information, nutritional information, promotional offers, offers on sale, offers undiscounted items, manufacturer's coupons, storewide coupons, information on user specific favorite items, and information on user specific staple items combined with user location information with the goal of providing a user in a commercial establishment information facilitating purchase of desired items in the user's immediate vicinity.
Chen, C. H., “Fuzzy Logic and Neural Network Handbook,” McGraw-Hill, New York, 1996. A book setting forth principles and algorithms, applications, in architectures of fuzzy logic and neural network systems.
Cox, Earl, “The Fuzzy Systems Handbook,” Academic Press, Inc., 1994. Another book that sets forth principles and algorithms, applications, in architectures of fuzzy logic and neural network systems.
Varshney, U., “Multicast Over Wireless Networks,” Communications of ACM, December, 2002. A paper discussing technical aspects of implementing multicast communication over wireless communication networks.
3GPP TS 23.246 V12.3.0 (2014-09) Technical Specification, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS); Architecture and functional description (Release 12). The 3GPP specification for MBMS bearer service offering both broadcast and multicast modes of operation for efficient usage of radio network and core network resources with emphasis on radio interface efficiency.
Salmon, M. D., U.S. Pat. No. 8,639,263, Method and System for Providing Location-Based Information to a Group of Mobile User Agents. Patent directed, in part, to a method and system for providing location-based assistance information such as location assistance when GPS signals are not available and advertising information for nearby merchants including possible multicast transmission of such assistance to a group of users.
Krishnamoorthi, R. et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,635,645, Apparatus and Methods of Providing and Receiving Venue Level Transmissions and Services. Patent directed, in part, to apparatus and methods for receiving the venue-based information via unicast, multicast or broadcast transmissions.